How about more integration with TMPGEnc? It's odd to have both progrmas running, when it seems they complement each other so well. Right now I'm doing the video encoding in TMPGEnc (Video Only ES with the low quality DVD template) and converting the audio to PCM with good ole' Windows Sound Recorder (sorry but TMPGEnc sucks at this). The thing is, I don't see why you can't just drop the video into DVD Author and tell it to convert for you using TMPGEnc's template. Seems so obvious a step to me.

very interesting question, and even more interesting WHY nobody responded to it.

TDA has all the important technical details mostly squared away. It's the finer touches that keep this from being a winner. I have used or own most of the sub-$500 DVD authoring tools and they all have their share of problems (most times related to bugs or irritating audio sync problems). I've dabbled in some of the more expensive commercial tools as well but these have a serious learning curve. TDA has the potential to supersede all of these. Here's my and most likely others wish list.

- Be able to insert background music in the menus
- Be able to insert any text in the menus
- Be able to control the size, color, etc. of the track/chapter title text (is there any way to eliminate the shadow??)
- Be able to alter the general menu theme format specifically the auto-Track/Chapter layout and buttons.
- A proper First play track (like production company stuff) that only plays on first insertion and then goes to the main menu (i.e. not part of the play all)
- Menu Transistions (okay that may be a bit much)

The current menu editor is a start but is still too restrictive. Loosen it up and this program will be more than worth it.

Hello, just ran into a bit of a problem that I haven't been able to figure out how to fix (hence why I am here).

Anyway, I have these 2 DVD's that I bought and I want to rip a local MPEG copy that I can watch on my computer from time to time. My computer sound system is better than my home system, so it is sort of a no-brainer for me.

Anyway, the first DVD works fine for me. I use DVD Author to extract the huge 3+ GB mpeg (with PCM audio detected) and then use TMPGENC to make the final much smaller. Awesome.

The second DVD has "Dolby Digital AC3" Audio that DVD Author detects and uses. Now, it also produces an mpeg that is 3+ GB. Fine. I can watch the big mpg and I get audio. Fine. However, TMPGENC doesn't like the audio of the file (meaning when I select the big mpg, it only detects a video file, and leaves the audio option blank).

I thought since both programs were made by the same company, that maybe there is something that I am doing wrong? Should I not be muxing the audio and video together into one file for AC3 audio, and if so how do I correct my error?

Thanks, and if you know the answer feel free to email me as well! Thanks!!!

Both programs don't have an AC3-Decoder. If you like to Re-Encode the Audio-Part, you have to use other Tools like BeSweet.

Thanks, will give it a shot!

I tried using an AC3 file created by BeSweet as an audio source in TDA,
but the resulting DVD has no audio. TDA recognized it as an AC3 file,
and I can play the file in Winamp. Any idea why the resulting DVD from
TDA has no sound? (I've tried it in both my console player and in WinDVD
and PowerDVD---there's never audio.)

Thanks.

>I tried using an AC3 file created by BeSweet as an audio source in TDA,
>but the resulting DVD has no audio. TDA recognized it as an AC3 file,
>and I can play the file in Winamp. Any idea why the resulting DVD from
>TDA has no sound? (I've tried it in both my console player and in WinDVD
>and PowerDVD---there's never audio.)
>
It must be something specific to the BeSweet AC3 file. I created an
AC3 file using Adobe Encore, and the disc created by TDA played just
fine.

FYI.

Try ac3fix.exe, run the ac3 file through it to create another one, then use that
This worked for me.

I was just wondering if you can download any extra themes for TMPG Enc DVD Author? If Not is there any plans to add more?

More problmes with this. I recently recorded several episoied of Dr WHo onto my Panasoni DMR-E100H, dubbed to -RAM from the recorderd HDD and then copied to the HDD on my PC from -RAM. Trying to import the titles, I get the error message "mixed 4:3 and 16:9 fatal error" any suggestions ?

Maybe this is a 1.5.13.44 error ? I never had it occur in the prvious version :( Any tips ?

I seem to have "solved" the problem. It must be a bug ? If I have the protection bit set ie on the Pansonic set top recorder I tell it to protect the program, it comes up wuth the mixed 4:3 16:9 settings error when I try and import it from the -RAM disk, if I turn that protection off, it works fine.

Very odd behaviour !

'This program is a mix of different video formats'
I got this annoying error many times and finally found out itÃÔ given by the settings on Panny recorders: default setting for Hybrid VBR resolution is Å¢utomaticE which means the machine is allowed to automatically drop from the standard DVD resolution to a lower one in the middle of a recording. If you switch it to ŧixedE picture quality will be equally good and TMPGEnc DVD Author will import each clip of the .vro properly. I was successful this way.
Cheers.

Hi

I converted an avi file into mpeg-1, to create a vcd but there is no sound.
Can someone tell me what to do?

For VCD, just drop the AVI into TMPGEnc (not DVD Author), then choose the template for VCD NTSC (or PAL, if that's what they use where you live) under Setting, then make sure System (Video + Audio) is checked. The audio should be there after it is done encoding.

If you have trouble, check out VirtualDub. You can use that program to save a wav file of the video's audio (file -> save wav) and you can use it to mess around with the video compression. If you save a wav from VirtualDub, you can stick it back onto the video in TMPGEnc by pointing the Audio soucrce to the wav file and the Video source to the video file.

Is there a place where I can find more menu choices? I am not impressed with the ones that come with TMPGEnc DVD Author. I have not been able to figure out how to customize them and add additional text boxes. Also, I can't seem to move the text boxes around like I would like.

Is there a way to create and save my own menus? I would be willng to share if there is a place to upload/download.

Thanks!

You can't use othe Menus. But you can use the Theme-Editor to Move you Buttons and Text-Boxes arround.

Hi,

I am new into DVD authoring and new to TMPgenc. I use Pinnacle Studio 8 to capture and use TMPGenc to convert from avi to mpeg and then use TMPgenc to try to add a menu and chapters. I went to the HELP since they said that they have no downloadable manuals and very confusing for me.

I only want to make 2 chapters. Can someone give me a step-by-step dummy way of creating a menu and creating the chapters and linking them so that I can select which chapter I want to go from main menu and after playing every chapter, go back to the menu.

Your help is much appreciated..

Hi,

Where can I find a manual for this product and TMPgenc Plus?

Some requests

1. Automatic insertion of chapter points at user/pre-defined intervals (say every 5 - 10 mins)

2. Inserting chapter points - could we have a hot key - (&Add current fra...) saves all that mouse movment.

3. Create Menu - ability to insert text anywhere.

4. Unlocking of standards - please? all of them, TMPGEnc let us do this, and if I want to waste my dvd-r's making unplayable out of standard dvds that my prob - go on we know you can ;-)

Keep up the good work.

> 1. Automatic insertion of chapter points at user/pre-defined intervals (say every 5 - 10 mins)

Huh? I'm using this every day. Try the "Add"-Button below the chapter list...

> 3. Create Menu - ability to insert text anywhere.

Yesssss. Please!

> 4. Unlocking of standards

Please! At least SVCD resolutions. Nearly all SVCD-capable players play SVCD from DVD, too.

>> 1. Automatic insertion of chapter points at user/pre-defined intervals (say every 5 - 10 mins)
>
>Huh? I'm using this every day. Try the "Add"-Button below the chapter list...

OOpps only buttonI didn't try }:-) I should have RTFM better..
Cheers 4 the info.

Subtitle support would also be nice, cause I would like to backup my dvd including subtitles. Then it would be nice if it supports files created by Subrip & Maestro SBT. And Svcd resolution is already possible.. You must change your mpeg-2 header with a program like dvdpatcher!

I know my burner is NOT on the suported drive list but here goes anyway

Media TDKG02
Burner - Optorite
O/S - W2k sp4

If I use TDA to burn the created output the discs WONõ play on 2 of my 3 dvd players.
If I burn the created output with Nero disc's play on all 3! (same media DVD-R/files)
If If I use TDA to burn the created output on to DVD-RW plays on all 3!
Strange?

Wild speculations here but DVD Author writes the AUDIO_TS files as lowercase, and Nero does it as per the spec, in uppercase, this is about the only thing I can think of ? My Panasonic player handles both.

I use TDA to create a DVD disc (try directly burn from TDA, or create a image and buy using NERO 5). The disc can play on PC, but cannot play in standalone DVD player (tried two players already). Any suggestion on what is wrong?

No suggestions, but an observation: on my system Nero 6.0.0.15 says "drive in use by IMAPI" while burning on a Pioneer 105. Afterwards the DVD does not play in my stand alone (but on PowerDVD).

DVD Writing Tool from TDA does the job, though. Took me 3 DVD-Rs to find that out... :-(

When you burn in Nero check the ""Force DVD-compatibility mode (required for X-Box)"" Check-box. It worked for me after going through five DVD+R disks even though they did run in the X-Box